Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

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Psalm 105 is a summary of Israel’s early history. The opening lines are a call to give thanks and praise to God for all He has done for the people. The story told in Psalm 105 is not necessarily pretty all the time. There were times of slavery and abuse and hardship. There was famine and hunger. Normally we do like stories with some conflict in them because they keep our attention. But why would the psalmist tell a story that had abuse and slavery and hunger in it?

Yes, it is the truth and, yes, it helps the Israelite people remember their history. But even more importantly, it reminds them of God’s presence. For the Israelites, the chosen people, these stories represent the times God stepped forward and acted on their behalf – ending the famine, parting the sea, performing the miracles. These stories remind the people of God’s love and care for them and they provide hope and promise for the future.

We have similar experiences with God in our lives. We have events and situations where there was conflict or hardship or trial. In these times we also have experienced God’s presence as He provided a way or brought us that peace beyond understanding or gave us the strength and courage to slay our giant. Sometimes, though, we are hesitant to tell these stories because they show our imperfections or our struggles or our failures. We do not always like to share these aspects of who we are. Yet we need to share our stories of what God has done in our lives. Just as the Exodus stories gave the Israelites hope and reminded them of God’s presence and promises, so too can our stories of when God came near give hope and promise to those we meet. It is through the sharing of these stories and the impact they had on our faith and lives that we can help others to understand and practice the words of the psalmist: “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always”.

Although the Psalm is centuries old, it still speaks powerfully of the relationship we can have with our God. When David penned this Psalm, he had matured in his faith and his position in life was pretty secure. But in his youth he had been through periods of trial and testing, through times of fleeing and rebellion. Through these experiences he developed a very intimate relationship with God. The Psalm is a celebration of that relationship. It also calls out to us to each seek an intimate relationship with God.

Verse one begins with the basis of the relationship: “O Lord, you have searched me and know me”. It is not a snoopy or creepy knowing – it is a lovely and caring knowing. God is both all-knowing and ever-present. But it is a sign of intimacy when we choose to live into these facts – it shows we are all in too. The idea that God knows the words of our hearts and minds before they come to our tongue reveals that God is all in. Just as much as we need God, God desires a deeply personal and intimate relationship as well.

Verse seven begins with “where can I go…” and “where can I flee…” questions. David is not seeking to hide from God or to take a break from the relationship. He is celebrating that God is everywhere. David knows that no matter where he goes and no matter where life may bring him, God will be there. God is in the heavens and in the depths and on the far side of the sea. Even in the darkness God is fully present. No matter where he goes, David finds that God is right there for him.

God invites us into an intimate, deeply personal relationship. God seeks anf offers transparency and honesty and an all in commitment to the relationship. Even though we may wander from time to time and drift to the edge on occasion, God is always pursuing us, always seeking to deepen our relationship. May we each pursue this relationship with our God and King. This day may we move deeper into the depths of God’s love.

Verse Six: The mind of the sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.

Why do people choose to follow Jesus? Why do some folks choose to worship God and live their lives by what is written in the Bible? Why do some folks choose a path in life that is hard and narrow instead of walking a road that is wide and easy to meander down? Why do some people make these choices in deciding to be a Christian? Why do you?

Choosing to follow Jesus and to live according to His example is a choice. In many ways, it is a choice that runs against the norm. By nature we are wired to seek pleasure and to desire to feel good. Our society ingrains in us the drive to succeed and accomplish and excel – all good things in and of themselves. Our culture champions messages like ‘just do it’ and ‘of’ it makes you feel good…’ Put all together, the world says to live for self and to just enjoy life to the max. For some, this is their choice and this is how they live their lives. Paul writes of these folks: “The mind of the sinful man is death”.

When one chooses to walk the wide and easy way that leads to death, life is fun and exciting and entertaining most of the time. But soon one realizes there is something missing. One senses that there is more to life than what they are living. There is a void. Philosopher Blaise Pascal described this as the “God-shaped hole in all of us”. We are created by God in His image. Therefore, God has a place to fill in our lives. When we make the choice to fill the hole with God, we are choosing to be whole and complete. We are making the choice to be a Christian. Paul also writes of this choice: “The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace”.

We make the choice to follow Christ. It is through this choice that we find life eternal and peace beyond all human understanding. Here we find that Jesus is our all in all, our everything. Thank you Jesus.

Our Psalm of complaint opens with quite the line: “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever”? It is a place we all have been at times in our lives. In our minds we know that God is always present and that His love never fails, but in our hesrts sometimes we feel like God is absent. We can relate, in our own monents of trial and/or suffering, to the psalmist’s feeling that God is hiding. Of course, this is all our own creation. The Psalm refers to wrestling in our thoughts and this is usually when we think God has been absent – when we were too busy to stop and go to God because we had to solve or fix the ‘problem’. We are sometimes slow to “let go and let God”.

The psalmist pleads with God to “look on me and answer” as he seeks some resolution or end to his struggles. It is a point we eventually get to as well. We finally hit bottom or get to the point of not knowing what else to do and we then turn to God. We admit that our “enemy” has overcome us and we cry out for God to help us. At times, this can look like a ‘we is me’ pity party. Sometimes though, we do try and seek God right away, but it feels as if God is distant. Mother Teresa called the season in her life when she felt far from God even though she was seeking God the “dark night” of her soul. It is a very hard place to be, but sometimes we find ourselves here too.

In the end, in the last two verses, the psalmist returns to the faith that has sustained him before. He recalls trusting in God’s unfailing love and his heart rejoices at the thought of salvation. Instead of complaint, the psalmist sings to the Lord – “for He has been good to me”. These too are choices we can make. May we ever trust in God’s unfailing love and sing our praises to God each dsy, ever remaining close to our God and King.

Our faith requires some honesty. Life is much the same. We must be honest with ourselves and with others if we are to live lives of integrity and character. We must also be transparent enough that others can know who we are and what we are all about. At times this requires us to be open and vulnerable. Philip and Thomas demonstrate all of these qualities in today’s passage.

Jesus is teaching the disciples some last-minute instructions before beginning His journey to the cross. This “farewell discourse” is full of powerful emotions, moving experiences, and great teaching. The disciples are like sponges, soaking it all up. And is often the case, they need a bit more explanation. Philip and Thomas could have kept quiet and tried to figure it out later. They could have remained silent and not disrupted the Teacher. Thankfully they did not remain silent. Thankfully they were willing to be honest and transparent and vulnerable. Thankfully they were willing to stop the Teacher and ask a question. They were probably not the only ones a bit confused. They were the two honest enough to ask Jesus a question. Understanding was more important than looking like they understood.

Philip and Thomas were also seekers. They were hungry for all Jesus had to offer. Yes, they had been with Jesus for three years, but they still hung on His every word. Jesus spoke the Words of Life. Oh that we would live such a faith. Too often we get comfortable and content and complacent. Too often we simply go through the motions and fail to experience what God has for us that day in worship or in our Bible study or in our time of prayer. Oh that we were all like that 96 year old woman, a Christian all her life, who still comes to church and to a Bible study because she seeks to always grow closer to her Jesus. May we too be seekers always, ever wanting to grow deeper in Christ, ever desiring to know Him more.

In this short passage, we find an essential of our faith. At times it often seems newborn babies always want to eat. Yes, they do sleep for short periods of time and do require moments to get clean diapers, but when awake and clean again they want to eat. The milk is good and warm and sweet and is pleasing. Their little growing bodies need the sustenance. In our faith journey, we should be like the newborn babe. We should wake up each day craving and hungry for the Word of God. It should be something we continually pursue so that our little growing faith can continue to develop.

A mother’s milk is good and warm and sweet and pleasing. It is also just what the baby needs to grow well. It is pure and contains the nutrients as well as other things that help spur their growth and improve their health. After day two of life the baby does not begin to look for something else to sustain and nourish it. The baby instinctively returns to its loving mother. The Bible and the words contained therein are our pure milk. We are to come​ to it day after day to grow in our knowledge of God. Like a mother’s milk, the Word tastes good and warm and sweet and is pleasing. It provides what we need to nourish our faith. In this sense, it helps us to grow as believers. The Word also strengthens us and encourages us in times of trial and distress. The Word is our “pure spiritual milk”.

A good mother knows the baby must continue to drink pure milk to grow and mature. Our Father knows the same is true for us concerning our time with the Word. Both our earthly mothers and our heavenly Father give to us out of love. Both nurture us along so that we can grow and develop and come to be all we were created to be. For both our earthly mothers and our heavenly Father, we are grateful.

As a prophet of God, at times Samuel has brought words that were tough for the person or people to hear. The results of Samuel’s words are not often positive. The Holy Spirit works much the same way in our lives. When we sin the Spirit quickly convicts us and forces a change in us. When the elders of Bethlehem see Samuel approaching, they are cautious and guarded. They are straight forward in the conversation: “Do you come in peace?” is their opening line with Samuel. ‘Yes and no’ would be the honest answer.

King Saul is not happy with Samuel. Samuel has very recently told Saul that God has rejected him as king. Initially, when God tells Samuel to go to Bethlehem, Samuel is fearful. So too are the elders. What might Samuel be doing in their town? Will Saul punish them for having Samuel there? Or worse? At times we too are put to the test. At times our faith leads us to follow God’s will into places and situations that bring up fear or doubt or that may have a cost to us. Doing what is right or speaking the truth sometimes creates conflict or ruffles feathers.

God has a plan. He answers Samuel’s fears and Samuel heads off to do God’s work. Samuel voiced his concern to God and God responded. This is what we are called to do as well. God desires an open and honest relationship with us too. So when we feel doubt or fear or lack of trust, we need to bring this to God. When we are unsure of where to go or of how to proceed, we need to go to God in prayer, to seek God’s plan. Like Samuel, God will lead us past our fear, our doubt, our concerns. Like Samuel, we must call on God alone and we must fully rely on God’s plan, knowing that God is in control of all things and that God has good plans for us.